• Donate
• Act
• Connect

Merit and Education & Retention Award (MERA) Grants

2018-19 MERA Grant Applications available!

 Keystone STARS MERA Awards for Centers and Groups are designed to :

• Assist Grantees to improve the quality of service and reward early learning and school-age programs for achieving and/or maintaining a STAR 2 level.  (STAR 3 and STAR 4 programs are not eligible for Merit Awards)
• Provide monetary awards to highly qualified staff for the purpose of establishing a stable workforce, reducing turnover, and increasing the level of educational attainment for early childhood and school-age professionals. (STAR 2, 3, 4).

Programs may receive the maximum of 3 MERA Grants.

Centers and Groups MERIT & ERA paperwork: 

• Attachment #1 Keystone STARS MERIT Excel Budget Workbook (Excel doc.)
• STARS MERIT Financial Award Guidelines and Request  (FA-03 WORD doc)
• Attachment #1 Keystone STARS ERA Excel Budget Workbook (Excel doc.)
• STARS ERA Financial Guidelines and Request (WORD doc)

Keystone STARS MERA Awards for Family Providers are designed to:

• Assist Grantees to improve the quality of service and reward early learning and school-age programs for achieving and/or maintaining a STAR level. (STAR 2, 3, and 4)
• Provide monetary awards to highly qualified staff for the purpose of establishing a stable workforce, reducing turnover, and increasing the level of educational attainment for early childhood and school-age professionals. (STAR 2, 3, 4)

Programs may receive the maximum of 3 MERA Grants at STAR 2 level.

Family Child Care Home (FCCH) MERIT & ERA Paperwork: 

• Attachment #1 Keystone STARS MERIT Excel Budget Workbook (Excel doc.)
• STARS MERIT Financial Award Guidelines and Request (FA-03 WORD doc.)
• Attachment #1 Keystone STARS ERA Excel Budget Workbook (Excel doc.)
• STARS ERA Finacial Award Guidelines and Request (WORD doc.)

Other Resources:
Best Practice in STARS Financial Award Spending
Keystone STARS Education and Retention Pro-rated scenarios

Providing financial awards to facilities serving children who are vulnerable and at risk was implemented by OCDEL to promote Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI). For best practices on how to create written justifications of financial award usage and providing recommendations on making intentional decisions about award expenditures, click here. Please update this as well.

To submit your MERA application first, download and complete the appropriate paperwork (FCCH/Center or Group Home STARS Financial Award Request and Budget Workbook). Once you have completed the Request and Budget Workbook, complete the online form below, attaching all forms as requested.

eliminating racism empowering women YWCA greater pittsburgh

MERIT Award and Education & Retention Award (ERA)

Complete requested information. The signature must be by an individual authorized to submit proposals and sign contracts on behalf of the Contractor.

Choose the ELRC in which your early learning program is located: *

•   ELRC 3 – Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Indiana, Lawrence Counties
•   ELRC 5 – Allegheny County
•   ELRC 6 – Bedford, Blair Cambria, Franklin, Fulton, Huntingdon, Somerset Counties

Facility Name *

MPI # (9 digits) *

- Location ID (4 digits) *

Submitter's Name *

First Name

Last Name

Submitter's Email *

Did your sites legal entitiy and/or tax ID # change since last year? *

•   Yes (MUST upload current W-9)
•   No

Upload Form W-9

Enrollment Calculation Tool (ECT) already submitted? *

•   Yes
•   No (MUST upload ECT)

Upload ECT

Are you a STAR 3 or 4 Center or Group Home? *

•   Yes (not eligible for Merit, proceed to ERA section)
•   No

Merit (Word doc.)

Merit (Excel doc.)

Are you requesting a bonus for you or your staff? *

•   Yes (must upload bonus policy)
•   No

Upload bonus policy

Have you requested Merit Awards funds for a single item, multiples of the SAME item, a service or a project that is $3,000.00 or more? If so, OCDEL requires two estimates for the same item(s), service(s) or project(s).

•   Yes (upload two estimates)
•   No

Upload estimate #1

Upload estimate #2

ERA (Word doc)

ERA (Excel doc.)

Please enter the word you see in the image

Processing your complete application takes time - please be patient and hit the "Submit Application" ONCE ONLY - THANK YOU!